Don't Leave Me Behind
by Life Starts Now
Summary: Meet Tiny. She's a scrawny osprey-human hybrid who's good at one thing: running away. Meet Clueless, an osprey mix with the attention span of a gnat. Together, they have to take on two beautiful hybrids that reek of Sue . . . or die trying.
1. Chapter 1

**Why, hello readers that have dared to click on an OC story! I actually wrote this a long time ago for a contest that I forgot to enter. Updates should be frequent. **

**I know I should be working on my Gone fanfiction, but I decided to post this.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I am not James Patterson. **

Today, danger took the form of a wolf-human hybrid, one with sharp fangs, long claws, and sadistic enjoyment cemented into its expression.

"Come on, freak!" He shouted, his voice clear and tinged with laughter, "Can't you run any faster?"

My short arms-just like the rest of me-pumped harder, but my lungs were empty of air. My muscles burned_. How much longer could I do this?_ The need to survive smoldered within me. I leapt into the air and snapped out my wings.

My wings couldn't support my weight, but they could slow my decent. Wind flying in my face, I tilted downward in a smooth glide. My wings flapped like mad in a futile attempt to lengthen my fall.

Unfortunately, gliding was not much faster than running.

My feet tapped the ground lightly, and I felt the Eraser's hot breath on my back.

"Ah!" I ducked under the Eraser's lunge. I leaped forward in a desperate attempt to escape.

The Eraser growled, regained its purchase, and grabbed my leg. I fell to the ground, face-planting dirt.

The Eraser's claws dug into my leg. He pinned both of my arms down with his huge ones. My back pressed to the dirt. He loomed over me, a smile wide on his face, exposing his teeth. I gulped. Saliva dripped out of his mouth and landed on my skin. His breath smelled like salt and iron. It smelled like blood.

"Say goodbye, freak," He snarled, quite happily.

"Please don't kill me!" I pleaded. Suck it up, Tiny. Screw the pride.

"Yum," He opened his mouth wide. I felt his jaws close over me, teeth pricking my throat painfully. A shriek was torn from my mouth. I closed my eyes, and. . . .

"Stop!" A familiar male voice echoed over the killing arena. I opened my eyes, and gulped. My head was almost entirely inside the eraser's huge mouth. Chunks of rotten meat were imbedded in his teeth. Drops of spit slithered down my face. Heat radiated around me. I could feel the eraser's clawed fingers on my arm, digging into my flesh, but the pain was nothing to the all-consuming thought; _I'm gonna be eaten!_

But he didn't bite down.

Jeb had halted him with the miraculous word: "STOP!"

The Eraser grumbled-imagine how weird that sounded from inside his mouth-and spat me out. I scurried away, entirely covered in eraser spit. I resisted the urge to gag-I'd tasted worse, but not by much-and instead watched my "Savior" saunter over to the Eraser.

Yes, note the sarcasm.

"Thank you, that will be all," Jeb Batchelder said quietly, directing his words to the Eraser. The Eraser grumbled and stalked off, morphing from a wolfish monster into that of a sexy twenty-year old supermodel. Even though I've been here, at the school, for the past fifteen years, 100% of my god forsaken life, I've never gotten used to that.

"Please stand up, subject ninety-four," Jeb said quietly.

I'd known Jeb for a long time, long enough to know that he was nice, but he was still a white coat. I wrapped my small wings around my body and hoped that he didn't want to kill me.

"Stand up."

White coats shock you if you don't obey them. Again, can we say, "screw pride?" I stood up.

Jeb's gaze traveled over me. I shivered, cold in my thin ripped jacket. Adrenaline faded from my veins. The killing arena hummed with A/C. To make sure that when the erasers slaughtered us, our bodies didn't rot.

And, no, I'm not joking.

"Subject ninety-four," Jeb began.

He knew my self appointed name, but he didn't use it.

"I am sorry to relay the news. "

Here it comes, I thought bitterly.

"But you have been deemed insufficient by the board of Itex."

I gritted my teeth. I knew, I knew, I knew I wasn't as good as Maximum Ride and her oh-so-amazing flock. It wasn't my fault they'd decided to put 10% bird DNA into my genetics, instead of the usual two percent.

The severe splicing of my genes had left me with feathery arms and a fierce, golden-brown raptor eyes. I'd also received shrunken, white-brown wings too small for me to fly with, an inability to eat anything but fish, and, worst of all, a tiny body that was not much large than a dog. I couldn't fight; I couldn't run very fast, the only thing I was good for was dodging things.

"So, um, will I die now?" Such an innocent question.

Jeb looked rather at a loss for words, "Well, unfortunately," He paused, "There is a chance you can win. You just have to defeat our other recombinant life forms with the DNA of an Osprey."

Swell. Fighting. One of the things I'm really good at. Note sarcasm.

When I woke up the next morning, it was impossible to tell if it really was morning. The reason being I was inside a cage. A dog crate, to be precise.

In the middle of a huge field of grass.

At least, I thought it was grass. I'd never seen it before, but Jeb the Whitecoat sometimes talked about the outside world, so I could assume that the lush, green, vibrant weeds that ticked my hands through the bars of the cage were grass.

I stretched and yawned inside the dog crate. Distant bird song echoed through the trees surrounding the clearing. Far away, a stream burbled-with my heightened hearing, I could just barely make it out. The air tasted fresh and crisp on my tongue. It would have been surprisingly peaceful, if not for one simple fact.

Yeah, I was in a cage.

I peered through the bars. Ten feet away from me, another cage, size large, was propped against a log. A person was inside, a person with dark brown wings. I couldn't make out the person's appearance; their back was to me.

I also saw two other cages, both about fifty feet away. The inhabitants of this cage had white and black wings.

My stomach clenched.

Would I have to fight them?

Hey, if it kept me alive, sure.

I gripped the bars of the cage, the lukewarm metal pressing against my skin. I was ready to fight, I was ready to survive.

"Well, you're all awake," Jeb's familiar voice met my ears. "Good, then we can get started."

The electronic lock on my dog crate (man, high-tech dog crate) popped open. I shot out of the cage so fast that I rolled on the ground, eating dirt. Ew. Dirt is not nutritious. I spat it out, and licked my lips in distaste.

I stood up slowly, wrapping my wings around my body, for comfort and protection. I glanced the boy who had fallen out of the cage ten feet away.

It was Clue.

I recognized him almost instantly, even though it had been ten years since that day. Even though he'd been seven or so then, and was much older now, he still had the same broad shoulders, happy grin, spiky brown hair, and clueless expression. It was I who'd given him his name, and he'd given me mine.

I looked at the ground and hoped he wouldn't recognize me.

"Tiny!" Clue yelled cheerfully. He bounded over to me and scooped me up in a hug, squeezing me tightly, "Man, you got even shorter!"

"Clue-_less," _I hissed, anger lacing my tone, "Put me down!" His arms felt good around me. When we were chicks, sharing the same dog crate, we'd hugged each other on cold winter nights for warmth. But we were older now, hadn't seen each other for ten years, and it was still my fault.

Clue set me on the ground. I stumbled, slightly, but Clue settled me. He wasn't very tall, maybe five two, five three, but he was still almost a foot taller than me. Stupid Osprey genes.

"How've you been?" Clue said. "Man, with all the tests and the Eraser fighting and stuff, I've been kind of missing you. You still look the same," He examined my face.

I glared right back at him, taking care to look pointedly at his right eye. A huge scar started at the center of his forehead, then raked down his right eye to his right jawbone. His right eye was sealed shut. The scar comprised of five scratches, disfiguring the right side of his face.

He'd had the scar for ten years, and it was still my fault.

No, it wasn't my fault. It was his fault for coming back for me.

Jeb made an odd, coughing noise. What with the drama of seeing Clue for the first time in forever, I'd completely forgotten about him. Clue and I turned in Jeb's direction, and I saw the two other human-Osprey recombinant life forms that had been thrown into this . . . lovely meadow. They stood ten or so feet away, and awkwardly.

Blinking rapidly, I couldn't believe the two of them were even part osprey. They looked about as old as me, fifteen, and stood together, holding hands. Both of them towered above me. The girl was at least five eight, and she actually had a chest. I've never encountered another ten percent bird that wasn't oviparous, but looking at this girl, she was definitely a mammal. I felt self-conscious with my feathered arms and sharp, hollow cheeks.

The boy was very, very tall, at least a foot and a half taller than me. He stood protectively next to the girl, murmuring words into her ear. From this distance, they sounded soothing. He was strong-shouldered and lean. I glanced at Clue, who was stocky, short, and, as usual, clueless. Clue eyed Jeb, not even paying attention to the two Osprey-human mixtures, even though, from what Jeb had told me yesterday, they were our opponents.

Both had pure white wings. If I had wings that size, I'd be able to fly, easily. Of course, I wasn't anywhere near as large as they were, thank god.

"Um-hm," Jeb interrupted, "Okay, this is Tiny," He nodded to me, "And Clue, I believe." He looked at the two perfect Osprey-human mixtures, "This is Ravyn," The way he said the name, I could tell that it was spelled with a Y, not an I. Weirdest name I'd ever heard, "And Hunter." At least Hunter's name sounded normal.

"Hello," Ravyn said demurely. She blushed, red splotches coloring her perfect cheeks, and glanced to the ground. Aw, she was shy. Maybe it would make it easier to kill her.

Hunter gave Clue and I both a short nod.

"Why don't you tell each other about yourselves?" Jeb said comfortingly. "Tiny?"

What could I say that would give away any weakness? "Uh, I'm fifteen years old," I said lamely. "I think."

Jeb shot me a look, "Elaborate, Tiny. We want to get to know each other." At least he wasn't talking about my experimental number, but the condescending tone he used made me want to throttle him.

I wanted to snap something, like the fact that I could duck under any punch someone threw at me, or I could almost, almost fly, but I didn't want to give my enemies and hint of what I could do, "Uh, I can't see very well in the dark?" That wasn't very specific, was it?

Jeb sighed, "Fine. Ravyn?"

Her lower lip trembled. She shook her head, her perfect blond hair floating around her head. She looked perfect, her waist-length hair in ringlets. Which confused me, because the white coats kept cutting off MY hair for comparison to that of a normal human's, and it grew at a rate of one inch per year. It was then that I noticed her eyes shifted color, from dark blue to a light gray. According to her emotions, maybe? Whatever it was, it was creepy.

"Ravyn, you have to say something," Jeb warned.

Her eyes changed to a fire colored orange-red, "Fine," She snapped, "Want me to say how the whitecoats like you have abused me over these years? How I was sexually assaulted by Erasers? How no one helped me until Hunter came along?" She sighed, and looked to the ground. "Sorry, that was rude," Her lower lip trembled again, and her eyes misted up, "I don't want to think about my past. It's terrible." Hunter wrapped his wings around her in a feathery embrace. One tear pooled in her eye. The whole scene made me sick to watch.

Jeb looked slightly regretful, "Anyway, Ravyn is one of our most successful Osprey experiments, and is considered a genius with an IQ of 157. She's very shy, though."

"Maybe," Ravyn muttered through Hunter's shirt.

"Clue? Would you like to say something?"

Clue scratched his head, "What?"

Jeb sighed, "Say something about yourself."

I knew immediately that Clue hadn't been paying attention. He never was, "Clue, tell them something so that they can figure out our weaknesses," I snapped, and instantly berated myself for helping him out.

He nodded, "Uh, I'm strong, but I'm not a really fast runner, and I'm afraid of the dark . . ."

"Clue! Not really!" I growled.

He nodded frantically, "Oh. Right."

"Anyway," Jeb said briskly, "This is Hunter. He's very strong, at least three times stronger than the average human, and can eradicate numerous amounts of erasers in a few minutes."

Hunter looked embarrassed, "Not really."

"Oh, don't be modest," Jeb said encouragingly. Hunter shrugged. Ravyn smiled at him.

"These two are our more successful human-avian experiments. Although they cannot fly, they are extremely intelligent and strong, and have been nicknamed the "Death Dealers," For their ability to defeat Erasers."

The "Death Dealers" looked embarrassed. What a disgusting moniker.

"What we want them to do," Jeb continued, "Is to eliminate our unsuccessful experiments, you two," He looked at Clue and I, "However, if you two have a better knack for survival, then we will allow you to win."

I clenched my teeth. I could survive against Erasers, but these two "Death Dealers?" Unlikely. Clue, as usual, seemed unalarmed.

"Jeb," Ravyn interjected, "I am not killing these innocent people. They haven't done anything wrong."

Hunter nodded, "Yeah, we're not murderers," He cast an icy look at Jeb.

"If you don't kill them, they will kill you."

Ravyn and Hunter both looked at Clue, and me as if expected that we would deny it. Clue was watching Jeb speak, and didn't even notice their glances. I gave them a "Yeah, whatever," Look. If murder was what it took for me to survive, I'd do it every time.

"But why am I getting lumped with Clueless?" I demanded, jabbing a finger at Clue. If I was going to have a fair shot at this, I didn't want an idiot like him dragging me down.

"You won't be. We require only one male and one female to survive. It can be any one of you."

Ravyn nodded, "Then Tiny should be the one to live."

"No!" Hunter hugged her tightly, "You're not leaving me, Ravyn. Not again," The "Not again," Implied that this had happened before.

I shot a glance at Clueless. He was watching a bird fly overhead with his one good eye, tracking its movements as if they mattered more than anything in the world. His mouth hung open slightly. Okay, I'd rather team up with Hunter. But it looked like he and Ravyn were glued together.

Well, only one girl had to live. Ravyn was going down. I didn't care how nice she was.

"Note," Jeb added, "We have tracker chips in all of you, so do not attempt to run away."

I was already focusing on gutting Ravyn. She smiled at me, blissfully unaware of my brutal thoughts. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that she imitated a supermodel. Hunter also had a rugged, handsome look down to pat. Why is it that the perfect ones the school loves are always freaking hot in every way?

"Please note," Jeb continued, "That Ravyn and Hunter both have special abilities. Hunter, Ravyn, will you please demonstrate?"

Hunter, again, looked embarrassed, but he narrowed his eyes at some far off, distant thing. The air rippled. A second later, standing where Hunter had been not ten minutes earlier, was a large, black wolf with golden-tinged streaks and sorrowful golden eyes that seemed to reflect hidden sadness. The wolf changed into Hunter, who shot Jeb a dirty look, "It's all because of you that I can do this," He muttered rebelliously, "I never wanted these powers.

Clue looked delighted and fascinated, like a small child convinced that Santa Claus was going to visit that night and save him from the evil tooth fairy. My stomach clenched. Who knew what Hunter could do as a wolf?

What would these whitecoats think of next?

"And Ravyn is also part mermaid, although you can't see it," Jeb continued. I stared at her. There was no such freaking thing as a mermaid, as far as I knew. A mixing of a human, wolf, and bird's genes, I could accept. But a mermaid? No freaking way.

"I get it, Jeb," I snarled, "The odds are stacked against us. Now what happens?"

Jeb led us into the forest. The two "Death Dealers" stuck together. Clue walked by my side, as much as I didn't want him to. As soon as I got the chance, I was leaving him behind.

Jeb stopped next to two large boxes, "Each team of two gets to chose five items from these boxes," He announced, "These will be your provisions for the, um, battle."

And he phrased it so nicely.

I opened the large box marked TEAM A, wishing that people would stop lumping Clue and me together. I'd probably be dragged down by that idiot forever. I wondered if he was mad at me for the scar he'd gotten ten years ago. No, probably not. Clue never got mad at anyone.

Not everything in the box was food. I grabbed a large pocketknife, flicking the blade open, flicking it closed. Knives were useful for almost everything. I picked out a small box marked FISH, and was about to grab a canteen of water when Jeb announced, "That's all the objects you can grab."

I swiveled around to glare at him, "What? You said five!" I wanted my full share, damn it!

"Yes, your team has picked out five." He nodded to Clue.

"What'd you get?" I asked Clue in an exasperated tone.

"A lighter," He held it out at my question. I gnashed my teeth. Obviously, he didn't feel the sun's heat on his back. It wasn't cold, the idiot. The lighter would be unnecessary.

"What else?"

He showed me two thick sweatshirts.

"Clue! We won't need those!" I stopped myself when I used the word, "We."

"And why did you grab two, anyway?" I demanded hotly.

"One for you and one for me," He said, sounding pleased with himself.

I stared at him. The idiot. When would he ever learn that helping people was not that way to stay alive? The way to stay alive was looking out for you!

Jeb made the odd, coughing noise, "In a few seconds, I will leave the arena via helicopter. You four will start your," He made another coughing sound, "Ahem, survival test. May the most fit win."

Ravyn and Hunter both shot annoying sympathetic glances at us. There was obviously no doubt in their minds who would win. Unfortunately, I pretty much agreed with them.

But all I needed to do would be eliminate Ravyn. And I'd just gotten this nice knife, too.

The blades of a chopper sliced the air. It hovered a few feet above the ground. Jeb climbed into it and waved goodbye in that sardonic, endearing way of his.

Ravyn and I looked at each other. She mouthed, "I'm sorry." I glared at her.

I tucked my supplies under my threadbare shirt and ran like my life depended on it. Which, of course, it did.

**Thanks for reading! Please remember to review :-D**

**-Life Starts Now**


	2. Chapter 2

Today, danger took the form of two lovesick, perfect Osprey-human recombinant DNA life forms.

I dodged around trees. I shoved past branches. I jumped over bushes, using my wings to lengthen my leap, even though I couldn't fully fly with them. Something crashed behind me, but I didn't stop. I just kept running, my breath hissing painfully in and out of my lungs.

My supplies barely stayed under my shirt. Good thing I'd had the foresight to tuck my shirt into my jeans, giving me a lumpy stomach.

The crashing sound drew nearer, and I tensed to fight. But the person who jumped next to me was . . . Clue.

"Tiny . . . stop . . . running . . . so . . . fast." He panted out, racing after me.

"You idiot! Stop following me!" I shrieked at him, my voice high pitched with exertion and fear. I glanced back, and saw that Ravyn and Hunter sprinted swiftly after us. Even the way they ran was perfect.

"But I have your sweatshirt," He told me, keeping pace with me easily.

"I don't care!" We broke free of the trees, and I skittered to a stop. Clue almost ran into me. We both gaze in horror over the edge of the huge canyon in front of us. A thin log led from one side, to the other. Crossing it would mean thirty feet of fun.

I turned swiftly to see Ravyn and Hunter burst out of the trees behind us. Hunter held what appeared to be a flamethrower. Great. We got a cigarette lighter, and they got a freaking flamethrower!

There is no God, that's all I'm going to say.

I jumped onto the log that stretched the length of the canyon, and tottered, losing my balance. The bark dug into my skin. Clue grabbed my shoulder and held me steady.

_Don't look down, don't look down_. I took a step, gritting my teeth.

_Don't look down, don't look down._ I wobbled. He clutched my arm before I could fall over the edge, but I'd already caught a sight of the ground. _Crap!_

My stomach lurched. A hundred feet below me, a thin stream of blue twisted through rock. And thousands of cubic feet of open air. Suddenly, it seemed like I was going to topple over.

I froze. I couldn't keep going. I just couldn't.

"Tiny! Run!" He kept his hands on my shoulders, but he pushed me forward. I took a hesitant step, then another. Together (unfortunately) we ran over the canyon, and jumped onto the other side. My bare feet felt so much better on sturdy grass, instead of two hundred feet in the air.

Clue and I turned to look at the Death Dealers. They seemed to be having some trouble following us. Ravyn stepped hesitantly onto the log. Contemptuously, I kicked it, and she wobbled, and jumped back onto her side of the canyon. She and Hunter whispered to each other, and then spread their wings wide in an obvious preperation to glide across the canyon.

I knew I had to act quickly, or they'd reach us.

My fingers wrapped around a stone to throw, but my gaze landed on a pinecone at the edge of the slight clearing. I ran over to it, and grabbed a bundle of them.

"Clue! Give me your goddamned lighter!"

Clue threw the lighter at me without hesitation. I clicked it furiously-I'd never used one before-and a small flame burst from it. I held it to a pinecone, and half a second later, smoke furled out of it.

It singed my fingers and I juggled it back and forth between my hands, "Clue, throw this at them!"

"But it's hot!"

"Do it, idiot!" I tossed the pinecone at him. He grabbed it, yelped, and threw it straight at Ravyn.

She screeched (in a graceful fashion, of course) and ducked under it. I grabbed another pinecone, lit it afire, and tossed it to Clue.

He threw the second pinecone, forcing Hunter to duck.

"Come on, run!" I ordered, and set off at a dead sprint. He followed me obediently, and I wondered how the hell I had ended up with him.

We ran.

We ran, and we ran, and we ran.

I didn't let us slow our pace. Whenever Clue started to look tired, I would shoot him a death glare, and he would nod and quicken his footsteps.

I don't know when night fell. I just remember collapsing to the ground.

I leaned against a tree, panted heavily, and managed to spit out to Clue, "It'll take 'em a while to find us."

The sound of running water met my ears. I closed my eyes. Dehydration sucked, but we had a counter to it. I allowed myself to rest for one moment, and then went into Survival Mode.

I dug the box of fish out from under my shirt and slapped it on the ground. He peered quizzically at it, "What's that?"

"It says fish on the side," I said in my "duh" voice.

"I can't read," He said with a shrug.

Oh. I'd forgotten. Jeb had taught me to read a while ago, but no one had ever bothered to teach Clue, because he was, well, _clueless._ I gritted my teeth. He was not stupid! He just had some attention issues.

I shivered. The unbearably hot summer's day had turned freezing cold, drying the sweat on my skin almost instantly. The sweaters had been a good idea, after all.

"Clue, can I have my sweatshirt?" I asked.

He tossed it to me. I drew long slits in the back with my knife to let out my wings, and then pulled it on. I wished I could fly. Instead of an angel, I was a shrunken, skinny girl with empathy issues.

He had already started a fire, and was now roasted the fish over it. I shivered again, but less violently.

"Wonder how the Death Dealers are doing," He mused.

I stared at him. I hadn't remembered either Ravyn or Hunter grabbing a jacket, and lighting a fire with that flame thrower would be interesting . . . with their tall, willowy bodies, they must be freezing! Clue and I, with our more compact, small bodies, would be much more able to tough out the cold.

I grinned, and wrapped my wings around my body. Hah.

"You smiled," Clue said cheerfully. His one eye looked at me.

I winced, "Uh-huh. So what?"

He grinned at me, "You never smile." He handed me a piece of fish. I took it, juggled it between my fingers for a minute, and then took a bite.

"I've really missed you," His abrupt words caused me to jolt up and look at him.

"Why?" I couldn't possibly think of a reason, although I could think of many reasons why he would want me very, very far away.

He shrugged, "'Cause we're friends, Tiny."

It was all I could do to hold in my snarl, "Friends, Clue-_less? _How could we possibly be friends? Here, in this world," I swept my arm around to indicate the surroundings. "Friends don't exist. _People who survive_ exist."

He looked at me as if I were crazy, "You can't survive without friends, Tiny."

Our eyes locked over the fire for a minute. Finally, I heaved myself to my feet, and said, "I'm going to go get some water."

"No! I'll do it!" Clue volunteered eagerly, jumping up.

I shook my head, "No, I've got to do it." I grabbed the now-empty box of fish and stalked in the direction of the sound of running water.

The stream was about thirty feet away from where we'd halted. I stomped to the water's edge, plopped myself on the ground, and scooped water in my hands. The icy touch of the snowmelt sent a jolt through my spine; I splashed it over my face. Wake up, wake up, Tiny.

Why couldn't Clue get it? Why couldn't he understand? Was he really clueless?

Why didn't he hate me?

I plunged my head briefly into the stream, yelped underwater-promptly inhaled H20-and came back spluttering. I had to get a grip. It didn't matter what Clue thought. I only had to kill Ravyn, and then I'd survive.

I shook my head. My super-short hair flipped over my scalp, and water dripped down my face. I filled the fish box with water and stalked back to Clue.

He drank the water I thrust at him with his usual docile expression, and then handed it back to me. I glared at him.

"Why'd you drink it all? I have to go back and get more, now!"

He looked surprised, "Oh! Sorry! I'll go get more!"

"No, you idiot!" I parked myself against the true next to him, leaned back, and closed my eyes. The fire had sprung five, ten feet into the air during the time I'd been gone, and it roared. Fingers of heat pressed against my skin.

"Who's taking first watch?" Clue asked. He didn't even sound tired, even though we'd been running all freaking day.

I opened one eye. He sat with his head cocked, a cheerful, questioning smile curving his lips. His hands pressed to his thighs.

"Watch?"

"Like when we were little. In the cages, at the school," He said slowly. As if _I _were the clueless one.

"And we had to be careful, in case the erasers came and tried to kill us. The way they killed Ant," He faltered.

I opened my other eye, "Ant?"

He shrugged in apology, "You probably don't remember him."

I racked my mind, but I couldn't. To be honest, I could hardly remember taking watches. I could barely remember anything, except a warm, happy glow that being with Clue had given me . . .

I clenched my fists. That warm, happy glow was going to get me killed.

"I don't remember," I closed both of my eyes.

"Oh," He said. He remained quiet for a moment, and then spoke once again. "Well, we'd split the night into two halves. There was a clock above your cage. We learned how to tell time pretty early. When one of us was being taken away for an experiment, we would wake the other person up. That way, you'd know that the other person hadn't been taken away to execution, remember?"

I did remember. I opened one eye just to peer at him. He was still smiling. How could he smile, thinking about all of that?

"And I," He said with a laugh. "I'd always end up taking the longer watch, because you wouldn't wake up. But I'd let you sleep, because you were so little and small." He grinned. "Like a teddy bear."

I aimed metaphorical daggers at him with my eyes, "I was not like a teddy bear."

Clue shook his head, "No, you were. You were really cute, too." He examined me carefully, propping his chin on his palms. "What happened to all that cuteness, Tiny?"

I threw a stick into the fire, "I grew up. It happens, sometimes." The fire crackled. It ate away at the darkness like a ravenous beast. I stared at it so I wouldn't have to look at him.

He missed the sarcasm in my voice, "You were such a nice little girl," He grinned. "Always fooling around with me. We played games, when we were lumped together in cages." He frowned. "But now you're harsher."

"Of course," I snapped. I picked a stick up off the ground and started peeling the bark off it with a jagged fingernail. "Because that's the only way to survive, Clue."

"You survive by everyone helping everyone." He corrected.

I jumped to my feet. The stick snapped in my fists, "Yeah, and look what happened to you! It's my fault, Clue-_less_!" I snarled out the words.

I still remembered it. Still remembered the laughing Eraser. We'd been seven and five. He'd been chasing us, trying to kill us. Simple, easy, and it always happened.

Only I'd slipped, fell, and the Eraser had tried to kill me. I yelled for Clue to help. And he'd saved me.

And he'd gotten that scar.

And we hadn't seen each other since then.

And I'd learned. I'd learned that you should never, ever help people. Because they'll only get you killed. And your life is always the number one priority.

"It's not my fault," I added. "Clue, it was your fault. You shouldn't have come back and saved me. You should have let me die!"

He looked at me like I was crazy, "That's not how it works, Tiny. An eye for a life is a more than fair exchange," He shrugged. "Heck, _two_ eyes for a life is good in my book."

I threw both halves of my stick at him. They smacked against his skull. He looked at them in surprise as they tumbled into his lap, and then grinned. Like I'd made a freaking joke.

"I was weak," I snarled at him. "Never save the weak. Save the strong."

He scratched his head, "But the strong don't need saving."

"Exactly!"

Clue sighed, "Tiny, jeez. People can't survive without people. I need people, you need people. I needed you to survive, so I made it so you survived."

"Do I look like a person?" I shoved up the sleeve of my jacket to reveal my arms and their layer of feathers, "Both of us, we're freaks on our own! We're not people!"

"We're not on our own." And he yawned and leaned against the tree, "You take first watch."

I sat back down in a huff. Why was I paired with this idiot! He'd get me killed with his stupid ideas about helping people. He was _clueless_, like always.

And an idiot.

A crunching, crackling sound met my ears. I jolted into a standing position, rubbing sleep from my eyes. The fire had cooled to embers, and I had terrible night vision. I peered into the darkness.

WHAM!

Something slammed into me. My head hit a rock on the ground, and sharp pain sliced through me. I couldn't even feel the huge weight on top of me; all that consumed my body was the agony roaring through my skull.

After a few seconds, I became aware that a person pinned me down. Erasers! But it wasn't an Eraser. In the dim light, I recognized the dark amber eyes of Hunter.

"Bastard," I growled.

"Sorry," Hunter panted out. "But the only way for Ravyn to live is for me to kill you."


	3. Chapter 3

For a moment, I was frozen. Fear halted all thought, and my eyes stared, unblinking, at Hunter's serious expression. Imminent death had always been a constant in my rather unusual lifestyle, but there always had been a way to fight back. For a second, I thought Jeb – Jeb, of all people – was going to coming in save me. That his cry of, "Stop!" Would resound through the trees.

But I was pinned to the ground, my breath quicksilver in my lungs. I couldn't fight. I could only feel Hunter move his hands to my neck as his prepared to give me a quick, painless death.

And I couldn't fight back. He probably weighed double what I did. My arms were pinned at my sides. I closed my eyes and whispered a final goodbye to the world.

"Get off her!"

Hunter's weight lifted. I jerked to my feet and scrambled back. Sounds of a fight met my ears. I felt around on the ground for the lighter, and when my fingers closed on the cool metal, I flicked it, illuminating the clearing.

Clue had his stupid sweater wrapped around Hunter's neck. He pulled back, choking Hunter. Hunter growled, and slammed his back (and Clue) against a tree. He groaned, but held on.

Hunter shook his head, and his shoulders. Clue went flying, the sweater torn from his grasp. His head smacked against a tree, but it obviously didn't do him any damage, because a few second later, he pushed himself to his feet and glared his defiance at Hunter.

Hunter's eyes focused on me. A tremor crawled down my spine. I knew that he would do anything, anything to kill me. Because I was the only threat to his precious Ravyn.

Yes, I really am that lucky. Note sarcasm.

Hunter disentangled the sweater from around his neck, threw it to the forest floor in a fashion that managed to appear menacing, and started for me with a low growl.

"Don't touch Tiny!" Clue yelled. He had no weapon, nothing but his fists. He raised his hands, as if he couldn't see that Hunter was double his weight.

"I don't have a fight with you. You're not going to kill Ravyn," Hunter said to him. Like the average, way-too-perfect hero, he seemed unconcerned with his own safety.

Clue picked a rock up from the ground, keeping his eyes on Hunter's face. He threw the rock. It hit Hunter in the chest and fell to the ground. Hunter looked at the rock with disinterest, sighed, grabbed Clue, and threw him.

He hit another tree. This time, he didn't get up.

Hunter advanced on me. My fingers sticky with sweat, I slipped my hand into the pocket of my jacket, feeling the sharp blade of the knife. I pulled it out, but held it behind my back.

Hunter's eyes glowed amber. The forest seemed to violently shatter, and half a second later, a huge wolf stood in Hunter's place. It bared its teeth at me.

That was when I dropped my lighter. The clearing became dim again, lit only by stars.

A single cry tore itself from my throat. My eyes widened in shock. Damn it, stupid freaking werewolf! I clenched the blade of my knife so hard that it pierced my skin, drawing blood.

Hunter's wolf was probably two, three times larger than the average wolf. Its deep eyes seemed almost sorrowful. But it still gathered itself up and sprang.

I tripped. My back hit the ground, and my head slammed to the earth. Dizzy spots formed in my eyes. Somehow, I found the strength to shove my knife through the air just as the Hunter-wolf's teeth snapped at me.

I felt a _shunk!_ As my knife pierced its skin. Teeth chewed at my face, and I screamed in pain. My face felt like it was burning, felt like it was ripped to pieces. But the huge weight rolled off of me and I heard the wolf's footsteps race away.

I curled up into the fetal position. I dropped my knife to the ground, and my fingers didn't miss the weight. I heard Clue's soft breathing echoing through the clearing, but I couldn't pry open my eyes to see his limp form. The adrenaline of the battle melted from my veins, leaving me to face the agony that consumed me.

Blood leaked down my neck, and I felt it stain my shirt. I knew that I needed to tear my jacket to bits, I needed to bandage my face, but I couldn't focus on anything but the wounds on my face.

I was shaking. The clearing, the forest, the world-wherever we were-was achingly cold. But I couldn't bring myself to move, because that would mean that the pain would grow worse.

I opened my eyes. I couldn't see anything. At first I thought that it night still consumed the world, but I heard bird's twitter. I'd huddled the whole night away. And it was day.

No!

"Clue!" I shrieked. I needed him. I needed him bad. I needed someone besides myself.

"Huh?" He mumbled.

"Clue! Help!"

It hurt even more than the wounds on my face to ask for help. Because it meant that I'd become one of the weak again.

"Huh, what? Tiny?" Clue swore. "Ah, Tiny, you're hurt bad!"

I felt his footsteps. He knelt next to me.

"It's not fatal," I breathed out. "I would've already died . . ." He touched my arm. I was trembling. I couldn't stop myself. If I was blind, I would die. The school would kill me. Ravyn and Hunter would kill me. And, worst of all, Clue _wouldn't_ kill me.

"Your face . . . " He muttered. I heard a ripping sound. "Tiny, it's okay. Okay? I'll make it better."

Tears dripped down my face. My eyes could, at least, still cry.

"Tiny, Tiny! Don't cry! It'll be okay!"

"I can't see anything, Clue!" I wailed.

"It's fine, it's fine," He told me. "You're fine. Your eyes are caked with blood."

Relief flooded me. He stood up. The relief was quickly replaced with panic.

"Clue, where are you going? Don't leave me!" Instinct caused the words to be torn from my lips, even though I knew better. Clue was currently stronger than me; he should go on by himself. He should go kill Hunter.

"Hey, it's okay, Tiny. I'll be right back. I just have to go get some water," Clue assured me.

I clenched my fists. The pain in my face had mostly faded, but I didn't want to know the damage. I would probably be scarred even worse than Clue was.

Clue returned. With a bit of cloth, he slowly wiped the blood from my eyes. And slowly, my sight returned.

My first sight was his smiling face.

Fury churned within me, "You . . .idiot!"

He looked confused, which was not unusual for him. "Huh?"

"How could you come back for me!" I shoved him, he didn't stumble from his crouch, "You have to go! Go kill Hunter! They could come for us any moment, and you've got my dead weight slowing you down!"

Clue shook his head, "Nuh-uh. I go beddy-bye for a moment, and look what happens. I need to stay and look after you." He'd ripped his shirt into bandage, and these he wrapped around my cheek, and one across my forehead. "With our super-cool recombinant DNA powers, you should be all healed by tomorrow," He joked. "Heck, it might not even scar."

I stared at him. How could he be so . . . facetious about something like that! With the scars on his face forever changing how I viewed him. The thick pink tissue that covered his face, forever imbedded with guilt . . .

No! It was not my fault! It was his own goddamned fault for coming back for me!

Anyway, it wasn't like I actually needed his help. I was perfectly fine on my own. I shook my head vehemently. "Clue. Go look out for yourself. Because we're going to get each other killed." I was perfectly fine on my own. I was perfectly fine . . .

He slid his arms around me in a comforting hug. My head ended up being pressed against his chest. He seemed so peaceful, so happy that I was all right, okay, that I couldn't help but close my eyes and just . . . live . . . just live for just a moment.

I opened my eyes and shoved him away. He staggered and I stood up, glaring, "We do not need each other! The only way to survive is to be on your own and look after yourself! Why won't you get that!"

"We both would've died without each other when we took on Hunter," He pointed out.

"No,_ I_ would've died," I spat. "He wasn't going to kill you, idiot! And you could've been seriously hurt, Clue-_less_!"

He gave me that Tiny's-gone-crazy-again look, "Yeah, you would've been dead. Don't see why you're so happy about it."

"I'm not happy about it, you idiot!"

"Then you admit that it was a good thing I saved you," His face now sported a broad smile. Obviously, he thought he'd proved some kind of point.

I gritted my teeth, "No, shut up! That's not how it works. It-"

I heard a noise. A crashing sound. I spun and started in horror as Ravyn hurdled from the trees and slammed into me.

My face ended up being pressed to then earth. I saw Clue reaching for me out of the corner of my eye. Hunter pinned him down. I hadn't even heard him coming.

"Now," Hunter panted. "Now we kill you."


End file.
